Player terminal for providing multiplayer game

ABSTRACT

A player terminal is configured as one of a plurality of player terminals, and provides a game in which the players participate simultaneously. The player terminal includes a processor that is operable to: (a) calculate total bet point by adding up bet points that are bet on the game by the players through the player terminals; (b) determine game results of the game being correlated with each of the players; (c) determine whether each of the game results satisfies a predetermined condition; (d) determine a winning award in accordance with the total bet point and the number of players who are correlated with game results that are determined to satisfy the predetermined condition; and (e) add the winning award to the player points of the players who are correlated with the game results that are determined to satisfy the predetermined condition.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO THE RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present application is based upon and claims priority from priorJapanese Patent Application No. 2005-310306, filed on Oct. 25, 2005, theentire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a gaming system having plural terminalsthat are connected to each other via a communication line, a gameprogram for allowing plural players to play the same game simultaneouslyby manipulating respective terminals, a game control method for allowingplural players to play the same game simultaneously by manipulatingrespective terminals, and a terminal as one of plural terminals that areconnected to each other via a communication line.

BACKGROUND

Conventionally, there are network video games, in which a plurality ofplayers participate for playing the same game simultaneously, employedwith casino games (refer to International Patent Publication No.WO/1997/026061, for example). The gaming system disclosed in thepublication allows players to enjoy a casino game without the need forgoing to a casino.

In casino games, each of the players plays the game against a dealer.When the dealer loses, the casino pays winning awards to winningplayers. However, where a casino game is employed as a network videogame, it is difficult to set a dealer. Hence, a proper method for payingwinning awards to winning players needs to be devised. As exemplified bythis matter, it is necessary to configure a new scheme in the case ofemploying a casino game as a network video game in which plural playersplay the same game simultaneously.

SUMMARY

One of objects of the present invention is to provide a gaming system, agame program, a game control method, and a terminal which enable smoothpayment of winning awards and allow the game-providing side to makeprofits stably in a game in which plural players play the same gamesimultaneously.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a playerterminal configured as one of a plurality of player terminals that areprovided for each of a plurality of players, and connected with oneanother by a communication line, the player terminals providing a gamein which the players participate simultaneously. The player terminalincludes: a memory that stores player points owned by each of theplayers; and a processor that is connected to the memory. The processoris operable to: (a) calculate total bet point by adding up bet pointsthat are bet on the game by the players through the player terminals;(b) determine game results of the game being correlated with each of theplayers; (c) determine whether each of the game results satisfies apredetermined condition; (d) determine a winning award in accordancewith the total bet point and the number of players who are correlatedwith game results that are determined to satisfy the predeterminedcondition; and (e) add the winning award to the player points of theplayers who are correlated with the game results that are determined tosatisfy the predetermined condition.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a gamecontrol method for providing a game in which a plurality of playersparticipate simultaneously with a plurality of player terminals that areconnected with one another by a communication line. The method includes:calculating total bet point by adding up bet points that are bet on thegame by the players through the player terminals; determining gameresults of the game being correlated with each of the players;determining whether each of the game results satisfies a predeterminedcondition; determining a winning award in accordance with the total betpoint and the number of players who are correlated with game resultsthat are determined to satisfy the predetermined condition; and addingthe winning award to player points of the players who are correlatedwith the game results that are determined to satisfy the predeterminedcondition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary gaming system according tothe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of eachterminal of the gaming system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a game process;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a bet reception process which is executed afterbeing called at step S11 of the subroutine shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a game result determination process which isexecuted after being called at step S12 of the subroutine shown in FIG.3;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a winning award determination process which isexecuted after being called at step S15 of the subroutine shown in FIG.3;

FIGS. 7A-7E show examples of status data;

FIGS. 8A-8D show examples of status data;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of another exemplary bet reception process;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of another exemplary winning award determinationprocess;

FIGS. 11A-11E show examples of status data;

FIGS. 12A and 12B show examples of status data;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of another exemplary gaming systemaccording to the invention;

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of still another exemplary gaming systemaccording to the invention; and

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a further exemplary gaming systemaccording to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary gaming system according tothe present invention.

The gaming system 100 is provided with a plurality of terminals 1(denoted by symbols 1A-1D in FIG. 1) which are connected to each othervia a communication line 9. Each terminal 1 is equipped with, on thefront side, a display 13 on which various images relating to a game aredisplayed. Each terminal 1 is also equipped with a controller 16 and acoin selector 17.

Although only four terminals 1 are shown in FIG. 1, the number ofterminals provided in a gaming system according to the invention may beany plural number. Although the communication line 9 of the gamingsystem 100 is a wire, the communication line used in the invention isnot limited to a wired channel and may be a wireless channel. Thecommunication line may be a dedicated channel, a switched channel, orthe like.

In the gaming system 100, a LAN (local area network) is formed by theplural terminals 1. However, in the invention, the terminals 1 may beconnected to each other via the Internet. The gaming system 100 may beconfigured either in a single commercial facility in which a game can beplayed such as what is called a game arcade, a casino, or a bar or amongplural commercial facilities. Plural gaming systems 100 may beconfigured in a single commercial facility in such a manner that agaming system 100 is configured on each floor or in each section of thecommercial facility. In the gaming system 100, each terminal 1 is anarcade machine for a business purpose. However, in the invention, nolimitations are imposed on the type of terminal. For example, asdescribed later, each terminal 1 may be a general-purpose personalcomputer.

Blackjack is played in the gaming system 100. However, in the invention,no limitations are imposed on the type of game played in a gaming systemas long as it allows plural players to play the same gamesimultaneously. Examples of such games are card games such as “poker”and “seven bridge” (a kind of rummy) and table games such as roulette.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of eachterminal 1 of the gaming system 100 shown in FIG. 1.

The terminal 1 is equipped with a CPU (computer) 10, to which a ROM 11and a RAM 12 as a player point storage unit (memory) are connected. Gameprograms according to the invention, various kinds of image data to bedisplayed on the display 13, various kinds of sound data to be outputfrom a speaker 14, permanent data and programs, etc. are stored in theROM 11. Status data (see FIGS. 7 and 8) including data relating toplayers (player data) and data relating to a game in progress (gamedata) are stored in the RAM 12. The status data will be described laterin detail.

The display 13, the speaker 14, a communication interface 15, thecontroller 16, and the coin selector 17 are connected to the CPU 10.Various images are displayed on the display 13 in accordance with gamesituations. Various sounds (e.g., BGM, a voice, and a sound effect) areoutput or produced from the speaker 14 in accordance with gamesituations. The communication interface 16, which is to communicate withthe other terminals 1, is connected to the communication line 9. Thecontroller 16, which is to receive game-related instructions, outputs aninstruction signal to the CPU 10 when manipulated by a player. The coinselector 17, which is to detect an inserted coin, outputs a detectionsignal to the CPU 10 when having detected a coin.

Next, processes which are executed by each terminal 1 will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 3-8D. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a game process.FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a bet reception process which is executed afterbeing called at step S11 of the subroutine of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is aflowchart of a game result determination process which is executed afterbeing called at step S12 of the subroutine of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is aflowchart of a winning award determination process which is executedafter being called at step S15 of the subroutine of FIG. 3. FIGS. 7A-7Eand FIGS. 8A-8D show exemplary status data.

In the gaming system 100, the processes which will be described belowwith reference to FIGS. 3-8D are processes that are executed by one ofthe plural terminals 1 (e.g., a terminal to which an entry instructionis input first). The following description will be made with anassumption that these processes are executed by the terminal 1A. Theterminals 1 (1B-1D) other than the terminal 1A execute processessuitable for these processes executed by the terminal 1A. In thisembodiment, the terminal 1A corresponds to a terminal according to theinvention.

In the following, descriptions relating to the display of images and theoutput of sounds will be omitted except for special cases. However, ineach of the terminals 1 (1A-1D), images are displayed on the display 13and various sounds (e.g., BGM, a voice, and a sound effect) are outputor produced from the speaker 14 in accordance with game situations.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a game process which is executed by theterminal 1A.

The CPU 10 of the terminal 1A performs entry reception processing atstep S10. A player inserts a predetermined number of coins into theterminal 1A as a game entry procedure and then inputs his or her ID data(hereinafter referred to as “player ID”) by manipulating the controller16 of the terminal 1A. At step S10, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1Astores, in the RAM 12, as part of status data (see FIG. 7), thethus-input player ID and ID data of the terminal 1A (hereinafterreferred to as “terminal ID”) in such a manner that they are correlatedwith each other. Further, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A stores, in theRAM 12, as part of status data, a player point corresponding to coinsdetected by the coil selector 17 in such a manner that the player pointis correlated with the player ID.

Furthermore, at step S10, if receiving an entry request signal from oneor some of the other terminals 1 (1B-1D) within a predetermined time(e.g., one minute), the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A stores a player ID, aterminal ID, and a player point that are indicated by the entry requestsignal in the RAM 12 as part of status data. The entry request signal isa signal that is transmitted to the terminal 1A when another player hasfollowed a game entry procedure with one of the other terminals 1(1B-1D) and indicates a player ID, a terminal ID, and a player point.

The RAM 12 of the terminal 1A serves as a player point storage unit forstoring player points of respective players. In the gaming system 100, aplayer point of each player is stored in the RAM 12 of the terminal 1A.However, the invention is not limited to such a case and a player pointof each player may be stored in a storage device (e.g., RAM) of eachterminal.

If at step S10 no entry request signal is received from any of the otherterminals 1 within the predetermined time (e.g., one minute), one optionis not to start a game and another option is that the player is causedto play a game with an NPC (non-play character) which is manipulated bythe computer. The following description will be directed to a case thatentry request signals are received from all of the other terminals1B-1D.

If game entries have been made through the terminals 1A-1D at step S10,status data shown in FIG. 7A, for example, are stored in the RAM 12 ofthe terminal 1A.

FIG. 7A shows status data at a time point when step S10 has just beenexecuted.

The status data consist of player data (shown on the left side in FIG.7A) and game data (shown on the right side in FIG. 7A). Theabove-mentioned player IDs, terminal IDs, and player points are storedas the player data. The terminals 1A-1D correspond to terminal IDs “AA,”“AB,” “AC,” and “AD,” respectively.

A setting value of bet points that can be bet for a game, sets of betpoints of the respective players for the game, total bet points for thegame, card points and total card points of the respective players, andgame results can be stored as the game data.

A card point corresponds to the numeral printed on each card. Morespecifically, the card point of card “A” is “1” or “11.” The card pointof each of cards “2” to “10” is the numeral printed on the card. Thecard point of each of cards “J” to “K” is “10.” Symbols CP1, CP2, . . .represent card points of the first card, the second card, . . . ,respectively. Each total card point is the sum of card points.

After the execution of step S10, coins are inserted into each terminal1. When coins are detected by the coin selector 17, predeterminedinterrupt processing is performed, whereby points corresponding to theinserted coins are added to the player point corresponding to theterminal ID of the terminal 1. Therefore, after making entry, eachplayer can increase his or her player point by inserting coins into theterminal 1 with desired timing.

After executing step S10, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A executes a betreception process at step S11.

In the bet reception process, as shown in FIG. 4, first, at step S20,the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A sets the setting value to a predeterminedvalue (in this embodiment, “10”). The setting value is a value that eachplayer can bet for a game, and each player can bet, for a game, betpoints that are equal to the setting value. The setting value is storedin the RAM 12 as part of the status data. In the invention, the settingvalue need not be kept the same at all times and may be changed asappropriate in accordance with the game situation.

At step S20, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A serves as a bet pointssetting unit for setting, to the same value, bet points for a game thatplural players can input through the respective terminals 1.

At step S21, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A determines whether or not a“bet” instruction has been input through or from one of the terminals1A-1D. The “bet” instruction is an instruction to set bet points for agame and is input by manipulating the controller 16 of each terminal 1.If determined that no “bet” instructions have been input, the CPU 10 ofthe terminal 1A returns to step S21. On the other hand, if determinedthat a “bet” instruction has been input, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1Asets, at step S22, the bet points of the player who input the “bet”instruction and decreases his or her player point at step S23.

At step S24, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A determines whether or not betpoints have been set for all the players who made entries. If determinedthat bet points have not been set for all the players, the CPU 10 of theterminal 1A returns to step S21. On the other hand, if determined thatbet points have been set for all the players, at step S25 the CPU 10 ofthe terminal 1A adds up the sets of bet points to obtain total betpoints.

At step S25, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A serves as a bet pointsadding-up unit for adding up sets of bet points for a game that havebeen input by plural players through the respective terminals 1. StepS25 corresponds to a bet points adding-up step of adding up sets of betpoints for a game that have been input by plural p layers through therespective terminals 1.

When step S25 has been executed, status data shown in FIG. 7B, forexample, are stored in the RAM 12 of the terminal 1A. FIG. 7B showsstatus data at a time point when step S25 has just been executed. Thebet points of each player is set to “10” and the player point of eachplayer has been decreased to “90” (100−10). Total bet points “40” arealso stored.

After the execution of step S25, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A returnsto the process of FIG. 3.

At step S12, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A executes a game resultdetermination process. In the game result determination process, asshown in FIG. 5, first, at step S30, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A runsa predetermined lottery program which is included in the game programsstored in the ROM 11 and thereby sets two card points for each playerand the dealer (NPC). This processing corresponds to “deal” inblackjack.

When step S30 has been executed, status data shown in FIG. 7C, forexample, are stored in the RAM 12 of the terminal 1A. FIG. 7C showsstatus data at a time point when step S30 has just been executed. Thecard points of the terminal 1A are “11” (CP1) and “10” (CP2) and hencethe total card point is “21.” The card points of the terminal 1B are“10” (CP1) and “10” (CP2) and hence the total card point is “20.” Thecard points of the terminal 1C are “10” (CP1) and “4” (CP2) and hencethe total card point is “14.” The card points of the terminal 1D are “6”(CP1) and “2” (CP2) and hence the total card point is “8.” The cardpoints of the dealer are “10” (CP1) and “6” (CP2) and hence the totalcard point is “16.”

After the execution of step S30, at step S31 the CPU 10 of the terminal1A refers to the status data (see FIG. 7C) stored in the RAM 12 anddetermines whether or not the total card point of one or some of theplayers is equal to “21.” If the total card point of one or some of theplayers is equal to “21,” at step S32 the CPU 10 of the terminal 1Afixes the game result of that player or those players at “21.”

At step S32, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A serves as a game resultdetermining unit for determining a game result in such a manner that itis correlated with a player. Step S32 corresponds to a game resultdetermining step of determining a game result in such a manner that itis correlated with a player.

In the status data shown in FIG. 7C, since the total card point of theterminal 1A is “21,” the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A makes the game statusof the terminal 1A “stand” and fixes its game result at “21” (see FIG.7D). The player of a terminal 1 whose game result has been determined isnot allowed to input a “stand” or “hit” instruction (described later).

At step S33, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A determines whether or not a“stand” instruction has been input through or from one of the terminals1A-1D. The “stand” instruction is an instruction to determine a gameresult and is input by manipulating the controller 16 of each terminal1. If determined that a “stand” instruction has been input, at step S34the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A fixes the game result of that player atthe total card point.

At step S34, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A serves as a game resultdetermining unit for determining a game result in such a manner that itis correlated with a player. Step S34 corresponds to a game resultdetermining step of determining a game result in such a manner that itis correlated with a player.

If a “stand” instruction is input through the controller 16 of theterminal 1B in the state that the status data are as shown in FIG. 7D,since the total card point of the terminal 1B is “20,” the CPU 10 of theterminal 1A makes the game status of the terminal 1B “stand” and fixesits game result at “20” (see FIG. 7E).

If determined, at step S33, that no “stand” instructions have been inputor step S34 has been executed, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A determinesat step S35 whether or not a “hit” instruction has been input through orfrom one of the terminals 1A-1D.

If determined that a “hit” instruction has been input, at step S36 theCPU 10 of the terminal 1A runs the predetermined lottery program whichis included in the game programs stored in the ROM 11 and adds one cardpoint as a lottery result to the total card point of the player.

After the execution of step S36, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1Adetermines at step S37 whether or not the total card point of the playeris smaller than “21.” If determined that the total card point of theplayer is smaller than “21,” the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A moves to stepS41.

On the other hand, if determined that the total card point of the playeris not smaller than “21,” the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A determines atstep S38 whether or not the total card point of the player is equal to“21.” If determined that the total card point of the player is equal to“21,” at step S39 the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A fixes the game result ofthe player at “21.” On the other hand, if determined that the total cardpoint of the player is not equal to “21,” at step S40 the CPU 10 of theterminal 1A determines that the game result of the player should be“bust.”

At step S39 or S40, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A serves as a gameresult determining unit for determining a game result in such a mannerthat it is correlated with a player. Step S34 corresponds to a gameresult determining step of determining a game result in such a mannerthat it is correlated with a player.

If “hit” instructions are input through the controllers 16 of theterminals 1C and 1D (step S35: yes) in the state that the status dataare as shown in FIG. 7E and single card points “10” and “9” are added tothe total card points of the respective players at step S36, the totalcard point of the terminal 1C becomes “24” and the total card point ofthe terminal 1D becomes “17.” Since the total card point of the terminal1C is larger than “21” (step S38: no), at step S40 the CPU 10 of theterminal 1A determines that the game result of the player should be“bust” (see FIG. 8A).

If determined at step S35 that no “hit” instructions have been input,determined at step S37 that the total card point is smaller than “21,”or having executed step S39 or S40, at step S41 the CPU 10 of theterminal 1A refers to the status data stored in the RAM 12 anddetermines whether or not game results have been determined for all theplayers. If determined that game results have not been determined forall the players, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A returns to step S33 toexecute steps S33-S40 again.

If steps S33-S40 are executed again in the state that the status dataare as shown in FIG. 8A and a “stand” instruction is input through thecontroller 16 of the terminal 1D at step S33, the CPU 10 of the terminal1A fixes the game result of the terminal 1D at the total card point “17”of the terminal 1D (see FIG. 8B). In this manner, the game results ofall the players are determined by repeated execution of steps S33-S40.

If determined, at step S41, that game results have been determined forall the players, at step S42 the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A determinesthe total card point of the dealer (NPC). In this processing, the CPU 10of the terminal 1A determines, on the basis of the total card point ofthe dealer (NPC), which of “stand” and “hit” should be effected. Ifdetermined that “hit” should be effected, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1Aruns the predetermined lottery program which is included in the gameprograms stored in the ROM 11 and adds one card point as a lotteryresult to the total card point of the dealer (NPC). This processing isperformed repeatedly until the total card point becomes larger than orequal to “21” or “stand” is effected.

FIG. 8C shows exemplary status data at a time point when step S42 hasjust been executed. In this state, the total card points of all theplayers and the dealer are determined. On the basis of these data, theCPU 10 of the terminal 1A determines at the following step whether ornot the game result of each player satisfies a predetermined condition.

After the execution of step S42, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A returnsto the process of FIG. 3.

At step S13, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A determines whether or not thegame result of each player satisfies a predetermined condition.

The predetermined condition is (A) the game result of the player is not“bust” if the total card point of the dealer is larger than “21” or (B)the game result of the player is not “bust” and larger than the totalcard point of the dealer if the total card point of the dealer issmaller than or equal to “21.” The predetermined condition is includedin the game programs stored in the ROM 12.

If the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A executes step S13 in the state that thestatus data are as shown in FIG. 8C, results are as follows. Since thetotal card point of the dealer is “19,” the CPU 10 of the terminal 1Adetermines whether or not the game result of each player satisfies thecondition (B).

The game result of the terminal 1A is “21,” which is not “bust” and islarger than the dealer's total card point “19.” Therefore, the CPU 10 ofthe terminal 1A determines that the game result of the terminal 1Asatisfies the predetermined condition.

The game result of the terminal 1B is “20,” which is not “bust” and islarger than the dealer's total card point “19.” Therefore, the CPU 10 ofthe terminal 1A determines that the game result of the terminal 1Bsatisfies the predetermined condition.

The game result of the terminal 1C is “bust.” Therefore, the CPU 10 ofthe terminal 1A determines that the game result of the terminal 1C doesnot satisfy the predetermined condition.

The game result of the terminal 1D is “17,” which is not “bust” but isnot larger than the dealer's total card point “19.” Therefore, the CPU10 of the terminal 1A determines that the game result of the terminal 1Cdoes not satisfy the predetermined condition.

At step S13, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A serves as a determinationunit for determining whether or not game results that are correlatedwith respective players satisfy the predetermined condition. Step S13corresponds to a determining step of determining whether or not gameresults that are correlated with respective players satisfy thepredetermined condition.

At step S14, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A determines, on the basis ofthe judgment results of step S13, whether or not there exists a playerwhose game result satisfies the predetermined condition. If determinedthat there is no player whose game result satisfies the predeterminedcondition, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A moves to step S17. On the otherhand, if determined that there exists a player whose game resultsatisfies the predetermined condition, at step S15 the CPU 10 of theterminal 1A executes a winning award determination process.

In the winning award determination process, as shown in FIG. 6, at stepS50 the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A determines a winning award for winningplayers by dividing the total bet points by the number of players whosegame results satisfy the predetermined condition. After the execution ofstep S50, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A returns to the process of FIG.3.

In executing step S15 (process of FIG. 6), the CPU 10 of the terminal 1Aserves as a winning award determination unit for determining a winningaward for winning players in accordance with total bet points and thenumber of players who are correlated with game results that aredetermined in satisfaction with the predetermined condition. Step S15(process of FIG. 6) corresponds to a winning award determining step ofdetermining a winning award for winning players in accordance with totalbet points and the number of players who are correlated with gameresults that are determined in satisfaction with the predeterminedcondition.

At step S16, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A adds the winning awarddetermined at step S15 to the player points of the players whose gameresults satisfy the predetermined condition among the player points ofthe players that are stored in the RAM 12 as part of the status data.

If the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A executes steps S14-S16 in the statethat the status data are as shown in FIG. 8C, results are as follows.

Since there are two players whose game results satisfy the predeterminedcondition (step S14: yes), in the winning award determining process(step S15) the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A divides the total bet points“40” by the number of players (in this example, “2”) whose game resultssatisfy the predetermined condition and thereby determines that thewinning award for winning players should be “20.” At step S16, the CPU10 of the terminal 1A adds the winning award “20” to the player pointsof the players whose game results satisfy the predetermined condition(i.e., the player points of the terminals 1A and 1B) The status data arechanged to data shown in FIG. 8D.

At step S16, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A serves as a winning awardadding unit for adding a winning award to the player points of playerswho are correlated with game results that are determined in satisfactionwith the predetermined condition. Step S16 corresponds to a winningaward adding step of adding a winning award to the player points ofplayers who are correlated with game results that are determined insatisfaction with the predetermined condition.

Steps S11-S16 shows a process for providing one game. When step S16 hasbeen executed, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A determines at step S17whether or not a game ending condition is satisfied. The game endingcondition is that a predetermined number of games have been played orthe player point of one of the players has become smaller than a settingvalue.

If determined, at step S17, that the game ending condition is notsatisfied, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A returns to step S11. On theother hand, if determined, at step S17, that the game ending conditionis satisfied, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A finishes this subroutineafter performing various kinds of processing that relate to ending ofthe game.

In the above-described gaming system 100, total bet points that are thesum of sets of bet points of plural players are distributed, as winningawards, to players whose game results satisfy the predeterminedcondition. Therefore, smooth payment of winning awards to winningplayers is enabled and the game-providing side can make profits stablyirrespective of game results.

In the above-described gaming system 100, the bet points of the playersare set identical, which prevents the players from feeling that the gameis unfair or untrustworthy because of the manner of distribution oftotal bet points as winning awards. This enables smoother payment ofwinning awards to winning players and allows the game-providing side tomake profits more stably.

The exemplary processes that are executed by the gaming system 100 havebeen described above with reference to FIGS. 3-8D. However, theinvention is not limited to such a case and the following processes canalso be employed.

Other exemplary processes that are executed by the terminal 1A will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 9-12B. FIG. 9 is a flowchart ofanother exemplary bet reception process. FIG. 10 is a flowchart ofanother exemplary winning award determination process. FIGS. 11A-11E andFIGS. 12A-12B show exemplary status data.

The game process (see FIG. 3) and the game result determination process(see FIG. 5) remain the same as described above and hence will not bedescribed.

First, the bet reception process will be described.

When the bet reception process is started after being called at step S11of the subroutine shown in FIG. 3, first, at step S120 shown in FIG. 9,the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A sets a lower limit (in this embodiment,“10”) and an upper limit (in this embodiment, “50”) of bet points.

The lower limit of bet points is a minimum value (minimum bet) that eachplayer can bet for a game. That is, each player is required to bet thebet points that are larger than or equal to the lower limit. The upperlimit of bet points is a maximum value (maximum bet) that each playercan bet for a game. That is, each player cannot bet the bet points thatare larger than the upper limit. The lower limit and the upper limit ofbet points are stored in the RAM 12 as part of status data.

At step S120, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A serves as a lower limitsetting unit for setting a lower limit of bet points that each of pluralplayers can input through a terminal 1.

At step S121, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A determines whether or not a“bet” instruction has been input through or from one of the terminals1A-1D. The “bet” instruction is an instruction to set bet points for agame and is input by manipulating the controller 16 of each terminal 1.If determined that no “bet” instructions have been input, the CPU 10 ofthe terminal 1A returns to step S121. On the other hand, if determinedthat a “bet” instruction has been input, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1Asets, at step S122, the bet points of the player who input the “bet”instruction and decreases his or her player point at step S123.

At step S124, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A determines whether or notthe bet points of the player who input the “bet” instruction is alargest number among the current sets of bet points of all the players.If determined that the bet points of the player who input the “bet”instruction is not a largest number among the sets of bet points of allthe players, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A moves to step S132.

On the other hand, if determined, at step S124, that the bet points ofthe player who input the “bet” instruction is a largest number among thesets of bet points of all the players, at step S125 the CPU 10 of theterminal 1A changes the lower limit of bet points in accordance with thebet points of the player who input the “bet” instruction.

In this embodiment, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A updates the lowerlimit of bet points according to the following Equation (1).(New lower limit)=(old lower limit)+{(maximum bet points)−(old lowerlimit)}/2  (1)

For example, if the old lower limit is “10” and the maximum bet pointsare “30,” at step S125 the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A changes the lowerlimit to 10+(30−10)/2=20.

At step S125, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A serves as a lower limitsetting unit and sets a lower limit of bet points for a game on thebasis of a maximum value of sets of bet points for the game that havebeen input by players through the terminals 1.

At step S126, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A determines, on the basis ofthe status data stored in the RAM 12, whether or not there exists aplayer who bet the bet points that are smaller than the lower limit. Ifdetermined that there is no player who bet the bet points that aresmaller than the lower limit, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A moves tostep S132. On the other hand, is determining, at step S126, that thereexists a player who bet the bet points that are smaller than the lowerlimit, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A sends, to the terminal 1 to bemanipulated by the player, a request signal which requests increase ofthe bet points. The CPU 10 of the terminal 1 that has received therequest signal displays, on the display 13, an image showing optionsthat allow the player to choose between increase and non-increase of thebet points. By manipulating the controller 16, the player can input aninstruction to increase or not to increase the bet points. On the basisof an instruction, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A sends a response signalto the terminal 1A.

If the terminal 1 to be manipulated by the player who bet bet pointsthat are smaller than the lower limit is the terminal 1A, the CPU 10 ofthe terminal 1A displays, on the display 13, an image showing optionsthat allow the player to choose between increase and non-increase of thebet points. By manipulating the controller 16, the player can input aninstruction to increase or not to increase the bet points.

After the execution of step S127, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1Adetermines at step S128 whether or not a response that requests increaseof the bet points has been received. If determined that a response thatrequests increase of the bet points has been received, the CPU 10 of theterminal 1A increases the bet points of the player at step S129 anddecreases the player point of the player accordingly at step S130.

On the other hand, if determined that no response that requests increaseof the bet points has been received, at step S131 the CPU 10 of theterminal 1A performs processing of canceling the entry of the player tothe current game. In this processing, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A setsthe bet points of the player to “0” and adds the bet points so far betto the player point of the player.

If determined, at step S124, that the bet points of the player who inputthe “bet” instruction is not a maximum value among the sets of betpoints of all the players, if determined, at step S126, that there is noplayer who bet the bet points that are smaller than the lower limit, orif step S130 or S131 has been executed, at step S132 the CPU 10 of theterminal 1A refers to the status data stored in the RAM 12 anddetermines whether or not bet points have been set for all the playerswho have entered the current game. If determined that bet points havenot been set for all the players who have entered the current game, theCPU 10 of the terminal 1A returns to step S121.

On the other hand, if determined that bet points have been set for allthe players who have entered the current game, at step S133 the CPU 10of the terminal 1A adds up the sets of bet points to obtain total betpoints.

At step S133, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A serves as a bet pointsadding-up unit for adding up sets of bet points for a game that havebeen input by plural players through the respective terminals 1. StepS133 corresponds to a bet points adding-up step of adding up sets of betpoints for a game that have been input by plural players through therespective terminals 1.

Next, the winning award determination process will be described.

When the winning award determination process is started after beingcalled at step S15 of the subroutine shown in FIG. 3, first, at stepS150 shown in FIG. 10, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A determines whetheror not there exist plural players whose game results satisfy thepredetermined condition. If determined that there do not exist pluralplayers whose game results satisfy the predetermined condition, that is,there is only one player whose game result satisfies the predeterminedcondition, at step S151 the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A determines thatthe total bet points should be given to the player as a winning award.After the execution of step S151, this subroutine is finished.

On the other hand, if determined at step S150 that there exist pluralplayers whose game results satisfy the predetermined condition, at stepS152 the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A calculates proportions of the sets ofbet points of the respective players. For example, if there are twoplayers whose game results satisfy the predetermined condition and theirsets of bet points are “35” and “40,” proportions of the sets of betpoints of the respective players are calculated as 35/(35+40)=0.47 and40/(35+40)=0.53.

After the execution of step S152, at step S153 the CPU 10 of theterminal 1A determines winning awards of the respective players byallocating the total bet points to the players according to theproportions of their sets of bet points calculated at step S152. In theabove example, if the total bet points are “125,” the player whose betpoints are “35” is given a winning award 125×0.47=58 and the playerwhose bet points are “40” is given a winning award 125×0.53=67.

After the execution of step S151 or S153, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1Afinishes this subroutine and returns to the process of FIG. 3. At stepS16 shown in FIG. 3, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A adds the winningawards that were determined by the process of FIG. 10 to the playerpoints of the respective players whose game results satisfy thepredetermined condition.

In executing the winning award determination process shown in FIG. 10,the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A serves as a winning award determinationunit. If there are plural players who are correlated with game resultsthat are determined in satisfaction with the predetermined condition(step S150: yes), the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A determines winningawards of the respective players according to total bet points and setsof bet points that were input by the respective players.

Next, the processes of FIGS. 9 and 10 will be described in a specificmanner with reference to status data shown in FIGS. 11 and 12.

As shown in FIG. 11A, if the sets of bet points of the terminals 1A and1B are set to “10” in a state that the lower limit and the upper limitof bet points are “10” and “50” (steps S121-S123), the sets of betpoints of these players are a maximum value among the sets of bet pointscurrently set (step S124: yes) but they are equal to the lower limit.Therefore, even if a new lower limit that is set according to Equation(1) remains the same as the preceding one (step S125).

If a “bet” instruction is input through the terminal 1C (step S121) inthe state that the status data are as shown in FIG. 11A and bet points“30” are set (steps S122 and S123), since the bet points “30” of thisplayer is a maximum value among the sets of bet points currently set(step S124: yes), the lower limit of bet points is changed from “10” to“20” according to Equation (1) on the basis of the bet points “30” ofthe player (step S125; see FIG. 11B).

After the execution of step S125, the sets of bet points of theterminals 1A and 1B become smaller than the lower limit (step S126:yes). Therefore, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A performs processing ofrequesting increase of the bet points (step S127).

If the player who is to manipulate the terminal 1A makes a response tothe effect that he or she does not want to increase the bet points andthe player who is to manipulate the terminal 1B makes a response to theeffect that he or she wants to increase the bet points, the status dataare changed to data shown in FIG. 11(c). The bet points of the playerwho made the response to the effect that he or she did not want toincrease the bet points are set to “0” and the bet points so far bet areadded to the player point. The bet points of the player who made theresponse to the effect that he or she wanted to increase the bet pointsare increased to “20.”

If a “bet” instruction is input through the terminal 1D (step S121) inthe state that the status data are as shown in FIG. 11C and the betpoints are set to “50” (steps S122 and S123), since the bet points “50”of the player is a maximum value among the sets of bet points currentlyset (step S124: yes), the lower limit of bet points is changed from “20”to “35” according to Equation (1) on the basis of the bet points “50” ofthe player (step S125; see FIG. 11D).

After the execution of step S125, the sets of bet points of theterminals 1B and 1C become smaller than the lower limit (step S126:yes). Therefore, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A performs processing ofrequesting increase of the bet points (step S127).

If the players who are to manipulate the terminal 1B and 1C makeresponses to the effect that they want to increase the bet points, thestatus data are changed to data shown in FIG. 1E. In the status data ofFIG. 1E, the bet points of the terminal 1C are increased so as to exceedthe lower limit. As in this case, bet points may be increased so as toexceed the lower limit.

Then, if game results are determined as shown in status data shown inFIG. 12A, the players who are to manipulate the terminals 1B and 1C areplayers whose game results satisfy the predetermined condition. In thiscase, in the winning award determination process (see FIG. 10), the CPU10 of the terminal 1A determines that there are plural players whosegame results satisfy the predetermined condition (step S150: yes) andcalculates proportions of the sets of bet points (step S152). Since thesets of bet points of the players who are to manipulate the terminals 1Band 1C are “35” and “40”, the proportions of the sets of bet points ofthe players are calculated as 35/(35+40)=0.47 and 40/(35+40)=0.53,respectively.

After the execution of step S152, the CPU 10 of the terminal 1Adetermines winning awards of the respective players (step S153) byallocating the total bet points to the players according to theproportions of the sets of bet points calculated at step S152. Since thetotal bet points are “125,” the player who is to manipulate the terminal1B is given a winning award 125×0.47=58 and the player who is tomanipulate the terminal 1C is given a winning award 125×0.53=67. Afterthe execution of step S153, at step S16 shown in FIG. 3, the CPU 10 ofthe terminal 1A adds the winning awards that were determined at stepS153 to the player points of the respective players whose game resultssatisfy the predetermined condition (i.e., the players who are tomanipulate the terminals 1B and 1C).

In the gaming system 100, when the processes of FIGS. 9 and 10 have beenexecuted, a winning award of a player is determined in accordance withhis or her bet points; for example, a player who bet more bet points isgiven a higher winning award. Therefore, the players are prevented fromfeeling that the game is unfair or untrustworthy. This enables smootherpayment of winning awards to winning players and allows thegame-providing side to make profits more stably.

Furthermore, setting a lower limit of bet points for a game on the basisof a maximum value of sets of bet points makes it possible to causeplayers to bet bet points in the following manner. For example, when oneplayer has bet many bet points, the lower limit of bet points can be sethigh to thereby oblige the other players to bet more bet points. Thisallows the players to bet many bet points while keeping the differencesbetween the sets of bet points of the respective players small. As aresult, the players are prevented from feeling that the game is unfairor untrustworthy because of the manner of distribution of total betpoints as winning awards. This enables smoother payment of winningawards to winning players and allows the game-providing side to makeprofits more stably.

The above-described gaming system 100 is provided with the pluralterminals 1 that are connected to each other via the communication line9. However, the invention is not limited to such a case and may beimplemented as gaming systems shown in FIGS. 13-15, for example.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing another exemplary gaming systemaccording to the invention.

The gaming system 110 is provided with plural terminals 1 (denoted bysymbols 1A-1D in FIG. 13) and a server 2. The plural terminals 1 areconnected to the server 2 via a communication line 3. In this manner,the invention may be implemented as a gaming system having a server.

In the gaming system 110, the processes shown in FIGS. 3-6, 9, and 10that are executed by the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A in the gaming system100 are executed by a computer (not shown) such as a CPU that isprovided in the server 2. The CPU 10 (computer) of each terminal 1executes processes suitable for processes executed by the server 2.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing still another exemplary gamingsystem according to the invention.

The gaming system 120 is provided with plural personal computers 3 eachof which corresponds to a terminal according to the invention. Eachpersonal computer 3 is connected to the Internet N via a communicationline 9.

In this manner, the invention may be implemented as a gaming systemconsisting of general-purpose personal computers.

In the gaming system 120, the processes shown in FIGS. 3-6, 9, and 10that are executed by the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A in the gaming system100 are executed by a CPU (not shown) provided in one of the personalcomputers 3. The CPU of each of the other personal computers 3 executesprocesses suitable for processes executed by the one personal computer3.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing a further exemplary gaming systemaccording to the invention.

The gaming system 130 is provided with plural personal computers 3 eachof which corresponds to a terminal according to the invention and aserver 4. The plural personal computers 3 and the server 4 are connectedto the Internet N via a communication line 9.

In this manner, the invention may be implemented as a gaming systemwhich is provided with a server even in the case where the gaming systememploys general-purpose personal computers.

In the gaming system 130, the processes shown in FIGS. 3-6, 9, and 10that are executed by the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A in the gaming system100 are executed by a computer (not shown) such as a CPU that isprovided in the server 4. A CPU 10 of each personal computer 3 executesprocesses suitable for processes executed by the server 4.

In the gaming system 100, the above-described processes shown in FIGS.3-6, 9, and 10 are executed by the CPU 10 of the terminal 1A and statusdata are stored in the RAM 12 of the terminal 1A. However, in theinvention, the terminal which executes the above processes and theterminal which stores status data need not always be the same terminal.For example, a configuration is possible in which each terminal storesplayer data of a player who is to manipulate the terminal and one of theterminals executes the above processes and stores game data.Furthermore, the terminals may store status data in a synchronizedmanner.

In the description herein, the statement “plural players can play thesame game simultaneously by manipulating respective terminals” does notmean that pieces of processing performed in the respective terminals aresynchronized with each other in a strict sense but means that the pluralplayers can play the same game simultaneously. Therefore, as long as theconfiguration of the invention is satisfied, the invention encompasses acase that plural players can play the same game simultaneously thoughthere are time errors between pieces of processing performed interminals.

In the gaming system 100, each player is identified by a player ID and aterminal ID. However, in the invention, each player may be identified byeither a player ID or a terminal ID.

The foregoing description of the embodiment has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, andmodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to explain the principlesof the invention and its practical application to enable those skilledin the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and withvarious modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claimsappended hereto, and their equivalents.

1. A player terminal configured as one of a plurality of playerterminals that are provided for each of a plurality of players, andconnected with one another by a communication line, the player terminalsproviding a game in which the players participate simultaneously, theplayer terminal comprising: a memory that stores player points owned byeach of the players; and a processor that is connected to the memory,the processor being operable to: (a) calculate total bet point by addingup bet points that are bet on the game by the players through the playerterminals; (b) determine game results of the game being correlated witheach of the players; (c) determine whether each of the game resultssatisfies a predetermined condition; (d) determine a winning award inaccordance with the total bet point and the number of players who arecorrelated with game results that are determined to satisfy thepredetermined condition; and (e) add the winning award to the playerpoints of the players who are correlated with the game results that aredetermined to satisfy the predetermined condition.
 2. The playerterminal according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further operableto set the bet points, which are allowed to input by the players throughthe player terminals, to be identical with one another.
 3. The playerterminal according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further operableto, when a plurality of players are determined to be correlated with thegame results that satisfies the predetermined condition, determinewinning awards for each of the players in accordance with the total betpoint and the bet points bet by the players that are determined to becorrelated with the game results that satisfies the predeterminedcondition.
 4. The player terminal according to claim 1, wherein theprocessor is further operable to set a lower limit of bet point that isallowed to bet on the game, in accordance with a maximum bet point thatis bet on the game.
 5. A game control method for providing a game inwhich a plurality of players participate simultaneously with a pluralityof player terminals that are connected with one another by acommunication line, the method comprising: calculating total bet pointby adding up bet points that are bet on the game by the players throughthe player terminals; determining game results of the game beingcorrelated with each of the players; determining whether each of thegame results satisfies a predetermined condition; determining a winningaward in accordance with the total bet point and the number of playerswho are correlated with game results that are determined to satisfy thepredetermined condition; and adding the winning award to player pointsof the players who are correlated with the game results that aredetermined to satisfy the predetermined condition.
 6. The methodaccording to claim 5, further comprising setting the bet points, whichare allowed to input by the players through the player terminals, to beidentical with one another.
 7. The method according to claim 5, furthercomprising, when a plurality of players are determined to be correlatedwith the game results that satisfies the predetermined condition,determining winning awards for each of the players in accordance withthe total bet point and the bet points bet by the players that aredetermined to be correlated with the game results that satisfies thepredetermined condition.
 8. The method according to claim 5, furthercomprising setting a lower limit of bet point that is allowed to bet onthe game, in accordance with a maximum bet point that is bet on thegame.